Delta just escalated the arms race with the Middle East's 3 best airlines

Delta Air Lines has upped its arms race against the ME3, the term
for the big three airlines in the Middle East: Emirates, Etihad
Airways, and Qatar Airways.

On Tuesday, Delta announced its
Delta One business class option that will start rolling out
in its planes in 2017. The new business class option provides
passengers with a cozy room that comes with its own door for
flights that are 12 hours or more. The airline is calling the
option a first for business class.

The move to prioritize comfort on international flights could be
seen as a way to give Delta a competitive edge over the ME3, all
of which have been expanding routes in the US.

Delta has championed a complaint that Qatar, Emirates, and Etihad
are
unfairly supported by subsidies in violation of the US's Open
Skies agreements with their governments. Delta isn't looking to
kick the ME3 out of the US market, but it is looking to restrict
the routes and destinations foreign carriers can fly into the US.

Qatar Airways and Delta have been publicly feuding for the past
two years. Delta's chief legal officer, Peter Carter, said Qatar
Airways' decision to fly to Atlanta was to "rub salt in the
wounds" of Delta, and Qatar's inaugural flight to Atlanta led to
a
feud between the two of soap-opera-level proportions.

But as the ME3 continue to expand into US territory, Delta is
introducing new options to give it a competitive edge in a
crowded market space — in this case, its new business class suite
with private rooms.

Emirates and Qatar Airways offer cozy pods in business class so
passengers can kick back and relax on long flights, but there's
no option for a suite with its own door. Etihad does offer a
"sliding privacy screen" for its business-class suites, but only
for those who sit on the aisle.

It could be that if Delta is having trouble restricting the ME3's
routes into the US, it's fighting back by offering nicer
amenities.

"As we have witnessed ourselves, everyone benefits when the bar
of service and hospitality is raised by an airline for the
comfort and convenience of its guests," an Etihad spokesperson
wrote in a statement to Business Insider.

Emirates declined to comment. Delta and Qatar did not respond to
Business Insider's request for comment.